Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1887-02-23
The Country Agent.

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experiences of the solitary officials
who do duty at many little railway
stations in the country:
Give us a chance, and see what the
small station agent has to say for him
self.
He gets up in the morning before
daylight, to attend to the local freight.
When it comes along, the freight is
unloaded anywhere within a mile
from the freight house, and the agent
(who has nothing else to do) lugs it in
alone. Then, perchance, there is a
car to go, and then the train men
dance and say he has been holding
that particular car for over week
and swear they will get laid out if
they take it. The local gone, and
freight all in freight house, he goes
home to breakfastin tolerable humor.
Returning to the station at 7 A. NJ. he
finds several lady passengers waiting
for the 8 o'clock train. No chance to
sweep up and clean until that comes.
Pretty soon they commence to bother
him just as he is making out his re-
ports, and then he has to explain why
children fifteen years Of age can not
ride for half fare, or some such point.
Before that is done with, some one
comes banging around for a box of
freight and will not be satisfied until
the agent has showed him every box
in the freight house and has promised
to telegraph and find out where his
box is being held. He then returns
to the Office and the train dispatcher
wants to know if he is laying off, and
why don't he answer his call. IF he
tries to explain, dispatcher thinks he
is sassing him, and says he will see
the superintendent about it, and if
agent don't try to explain, he will get
reported for not doing so. Then, when
dispatcher is sending special order,
people come to the ticket window and
want to know how soon their train
will come, and if it is on time. At
last, train is nearly due, when in comes
a man who has five or ten dollars to
send by express, and who, after spoil
ing three or four envelopes, finally
gets one to suit him, and then wants
agent to count money for him. He
expects to send barrel of potatoes
to Michigan in the fall, and wants to
know how much it will cost and if|
agent can not get lower rate if he
ships three or four barrels. Then the
train comes, and before he can get his
baggage and express off and on, the
conductor and engineer are calling
for their order, and he is rushed to
the Office to get it.
The train gone, he commences to
sweep out and clean up; no sooner
has he finished sweeping three or four
rooms and long platform, than there
are some cars to be moved; he gets
his pinch-bar and shoves and pushes
for the next thirty minutes and final
ly gets back to office in time to find
out that somebody has had w. U.
message and has been calling him all
the morning and has requested the
dispatcher to stir the agent up little.
The agent very likely feels stirred,
but has to be resigned and quiet when
told that new man will take his
place if he don't stay in the Office all
day and attend to business better.
Dinner time comes at all hours, and
would not come at all ifl
the agent did not steal off to dinner,
snatch bite and rush back just in
time to have another racket with the
IF a freight train gets
laid out twenty minutes at small
station for not getting special orders
after the dispatcher has given hing.
He walks out of the office in disgust
and gets as far as the freight house
when he finds something new. Some
me has left hay-rack full of house,
nold goods strewed all over the freight
1oor. Pretty soon another load comes,
md finally about dark, lady comes
around and wants her goods shipped
BY the first train. 1t is supper time.
The passenger train is due in thirty
He has to sell tickets, check
baggage, get United States mails, fin
sh up his reports and then go out in
he freight house, and, after tugging
md straining himself on cook stoves,
boxes and barrels and things
If every description, loosely packed,
poorly nailed, and liable to come
part at any time, he finds that he has .
hirty minutes left to eat his supper,
'ill the freight, make out the releases
md help the poor woman mark her :
,oods and nail her boxes and barrels
'ver. Then he gets his parting in ,
tructions to handle her goods very q
arefully and to tell the train men to ,
10 the same. Along comes the local
wo hours late, pitch dark and rain
ng; the conductor sees the platform }